68: Chapter 68 Protective Qi Shirt, Iron Shirt Breakthrough and Mastery!

Seeing the layer of white Qi shirt on Chen Yichuan's body, Pharmacist Huang's calm face rarely broke into a smile.

"Iron Shirt has reached Great Success, has it? Perfect… Let me test its defense."

Pharmacist Huang whispered softly, then leaped into the air, gathering all his Battle Qi into his palm.

The surging Battle Qi stirred up gusts of wind, pressing down so hard that people couldn't open their eyes.

Such terrifying power didn't look like it was helping Chen Yichuan cultivate a Body Protection Martial Art at all; instead, it looked like he intended to kill Chen Yichuan in one blow.

The next instant, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Pharmacist Huang struck fiercely with his full power.

Tian Yushan just wanted to stop him, but the next second, the attack had already landed on Chen Yichuan.

Thud. -10

A dull, heavy sound suddenly rang out. Ripples spread across the ground, and dust billowed everywhere.

A few seconds later, when the dust settled, the scene everyone expected—Chen Yichuan vomiting blood and collapsing—did not happen. Instead, he stood tall in the center of the battlefield.

A layer of white Qi shirt flowed around him, unconsciously making people feel a sense of security.

Clearly, Chen Yichuan had blocked Pharmacist Huang's full-power strike.

Although there were a few gaps in the Qi shirt, it was of no consequence. Iron Shirt had truly blocked a full-power strike from a Second-rank Martial Artist head-on, taking only 10 points of damage.

"Not bad, not bad." Pharmacist Huang nodded repeatedly.

"Kid Yichuan, it seems your Iron Shirt has reached Great Success. For the next stage, you can only grind it out slowly, or find a Third-Grade Martial Artist to spar with."

Huh? Hearing this, Chen Yichuan didn't understand what he meant yet.

When... several Militiamen raised their weapons to attack him in unison, the unmoving martial arts experience instantly made him understand.

To break through to mastery, Iron Shirt required stronger attacks to increase martial arts experience.

For example, that strike from Pharmacist Huang just now caused Iron Shirt to gain 1 point of experience.

Such high Battle Qi consumption, and it only added 1 point of experience. One can imagine how much time it would take to reach the next level of perfection (5000 points).

However, Chen Yichuan was already very satisfied. He cupped his hands to the surrounding crowd: "Brothers of the Militiamen, I will never forget your help today. In a few days, I will treat everyone to a meal."

"Let's eat heartily and drink our fill!!" As soon as these words were spoken, a thunderous cheer erupted, with everyone clamoring for enough wine.

However, it wasn't over yet. Chen Yichuan pulled a stack of banknotes from his pocket, all of which were ten-tael silver notes.

"Come, come, brothers, everyone gets a share."

"Yichuan thanks you all again!!"

Good heavens. After that series of moves, everyone praised Chen Yichuan for being generous, his social skills fully maxed out.

After the Militiamen dispersed, the three men's faces blossomed with smiles, especially Village Chief Zhao Taohua, whose old face was almost wrinkled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Three Uncles, I cannot repay your great kindness—if you do not mind, I am willing to acknowledge..."

Before Chen Yichuan could finish his sentence, Tian Yushan's face instantly darkened with frustration. He immediately helped Chen Yichuan up and said warmly: "Yichuan!"

"Do not say such things again. Uncle does not want anything from you. Besides, the purple flower jade dew pill was successfully refined partly because of you."

Tian Yushan pretended to be stern, but in reality, he was extremely satisfied with Chen Yichuan. The other two felt the same.

If he was this generous and magnanimous to the Militiamen who came to help, then they, as those close to him, would surely receive a 'heavy' return gift in the future.

Seeing Village Chief Zhao Taohua and Pharmacist Huang nod, Chen Yichuan dropped the subject. However, he maintained his respectful demeanor where appropriate.

"Kid Yichuan, finding a Third-Grade Martial Artist to spar with is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Moreover, there aren't many Third-Grade Martial Artists in Shuangjiang County. If you want Iron Shirt to advance again..."

"It would require at least one Third-Grade Martial Artist to accompany you in cultivation for two days without sleep or rest, not to mention that a martial artist's Battle Qi needs time to recover."

"Great Success in Iron Shirt is enough; at the very least, it ensures your survival against a Second-rank Martial Artist," Pharmacist Huang said earnestly.

Every word of advice felt like the concern of an elder for a younger generation. These words warmed Chen Yichuan's heart.

"Senior Pharmacist, thank you."

Senior? Hearing this, Pharmacist Huang's expression turned cold: "Still calling me Senior? Call me Uncle, Uncle Pharmacist, it sounds more intimate."

Pfft. Village Chief Zhao Taohua, standing to the side, couldn't hold it in. Chen Yichuan also nearly lost his composure, biting his lip: "Uncle Pharmacist, Yichuan understands."

"Mm, the child is teachable." Pharmacist Huang stroked his beard, looking very satisfied.

"Kid Yichuan, when you encounter a Second-rank Martial Artist, remember one thing: never drag it out. If you can't win, leave immediately."

"A Second-rank Martial Artist's Battle Qi reserves are much stronger than a First-Rank's."

"That's enough for now, I'm tired after a long day." After giving this final advice, Pharmacist Huang patted Chen Yichuan on the shoulder. He used his Lightfoot Skill and drifted away.

Village Chief Zhao Taohua and the other left as well, as they had things to do.

Taking advantage of this time, Chen Yichuan informed Village Chief Zhao Taohua that he planned to go into secluded cultivation for the next two or three days to digest what he had learned. He asked him to have Tieniu bring food to his room.

"Secluded cultivation! Mm, I understand." Village Chief Zhao Taohua nodded and turned to leave.

Before long, the medicine field that was previously full of people was left with only Chen Yichuan.

At this moment, Chen Yichuan couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from curling up, and he laughed maniacally like an Uchiha. "Hahahaha!" "Awesome!"

"Breaking through two levels of Iron Shirt in less than half a day—truly, having a strong person to spar with makes cultivating Body Protection Martial Art so fast."

After a hearty shout, suddenly, a system notification rang in his ears. 'Ding.'

'System Notification: Iron Shirt has improved from adept to mastery. Reward: 2 points of Strength, 2 points of Stamina; Iron Shirt Shield unlocked!!'

'Activate Iron Shirt to temporarily increase Defense by 60 points and Stamina by 20 points.'

2 points of Strength. Chen Yichuan's eyes lit up, and he instantly opened his panel.

[Chen Yichuan: Male; Life Profession: Jailer. Talent: Attribute Involution (Unique Talent). Realm: First-Rank Martial Artist. Strength: 56+2. Agility: 47 (+), estimated to end in 1 day and 4 hours. Stamina: 50+2 (+). spirit: 50 (+) (Inactive). Free Attribute Points: 5. Martial Arts: Iron Shirt (mastery 1/5000)... (Collapsed)]

"58 points of Strength, not bad, not bad." Chen Yichuan smiled slightly.

Immediately after, Chen Yichuan checked his Martial Arts Stance for a while and discovered that, except for Cloud Rolling and Unrolling, the Battle Qi consumption for the other two Martial Arts Stance had actually decreased.

"Clouds Rise, Sword Moves" was reduced from 20% directly to 10%. As Chen Yichuan's strongest trump card, Returning Cloud was also reduced from consuming 50% Battle Qi to 30%.

The most critical part—the newly unlocked 'Iron Shirt Shield'—only consumes 10% Battle Qi to activate and can last for 5 minutes. It's very cost-effective. It was simply an unexpected surprise.

"It must be because I broke through to First-Rank Martial Artist, increasing my own Battle Qi reserves." Chen Yichuan whispered, while thoughtfully saying: "It seems that in the future, when facing higher-level martial artists, I should strike with full power first, and if I can't win, I'll run."

He glanced at the countdown; there was still over an hour left, so Chen Yichuan did not log out. He returned to Village Chief Zhao Taohua's house and continued to sleep to recuperate.

He planned to face the Cat-faced Old Lady in the best possible condition; who knows if that thing is camping out at his house. Stay steady. Lay low first; only by staying alive can one deal damage.